Boeing Crash 'Terror' Warrants Substantial Award, Jury Hears

By Lauraann Wood

The estate of an emerging global health advocate who died in the Boeing jet crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 should receive substantial damages for her experience in the six minutes before impact and how her death has affected her family, Illinois federal jurors heard Wednesday.

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Boeing Says Fund's Revised 737 Max Fraud Suit Still Doomed

By Katryna Perera

Boeing has urged an Illinois federal judge to permanently toss a securities fraud suit accusing the company of misrepresenting the safety of its 737 Max 8 jets after two deadly crashes overseas, reiterating that the Massachusetts-based investment fund cannot pursue claims purportedly assigned to it by a defunct assignor.

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Federalism Probed In Suit Over Judge's MAGA Op-Ed Ouster

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois federal judge said Wednesday he may have to abstain from exercising jurisdiction over a retired Illinois state court judge's claims that was wrongfully removed from the bench over protected speech in a political opinion column, saying the prospect of a federal court in the first instance instructing the state's top jurists about who can be a judge "seems to break the respect that federalism demands for state government."

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Illinois Is Latest State To Probe Fatal ICE Shooting

By Brandon Lowrey

Illinois State Police has launched an investigation into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents' fatal shooting of a man during last year's widespread federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants, joining other states that have filed or are considering bringing criminal charges against federal agents.

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Nursing Home Co. Can't Stave Off EEOC Harassment Trial

By Grace Elletson

A nursing facility operator can't dodge a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit claiming it fired an employee for complaining that her boss sexually harassed her, an Illinois federal judge said Wednesday, ruling a jury needs to assess whether the business acted out of retaliation.

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Judge Questions OMB Justification For Voiding Grants

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday pushed back on arguments by the Trump administration that federal agency grants are subject to termination at any time based solely on a change in priorities — a situation, she suggested, that would essentially render any contracts with the government "illusory."

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Financier Charged With Fleecing Billionaire Out Of $450M

By Pete Brush

A financier based in Greece defrauded Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego out of $450 million, misappropriating stock that the telecommunications baron used to secure a loan after lying about his bona fides, New York federal prosecutors have alleged.

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Mortgage Co. Strikes $9M Deal In NC Phone-Pay Fee Suit

By Sydney Price

A certified class of North Carolina borrowers on Wednesday asked a federal judge to preliminarily approve a $9 million settlement to resolve claims their Illinois-based mortgage servicer Dovenmuehle Mortgage Inc. charged them excessive processing fees to pay their bills over the phone.

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Brief

Buyers Drop Cresco, Verano, Cannabist THC Potency Suits

By Jonathan Capriel

Cresco, Verano and other cannabis companies have secured permanent ends to lawsuits accusing them of mislabeling products to get around state-mandated THC potency limits in Illinois, the latest stipulated dismissals following a swell of favorable court rulings for the industry.

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7th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-DHS Officer's Disability Bias Suit

By Grace Elletson

The Seventh Circuit has declined to reinstate a fired immigration officer's suit claiming the Department of Homeland Security failed to accommodate his medical issues, saying that his claims were "meritless" and that he hadn't properly attempted to resolve them within the agency before filing suit.

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Banks Face Cloudy Rate Horizons As Opt-Outs Spread

Banks and fintechs are grappling with a fragmented, fast-changing consumer lending landscape as more states consider opting out of preemption under the Depository Institutions and Monetary Control Act, which may ultimately lead to a decrease in interstate lending and access to credit, says Marc Franson at Chapman and Cutler.

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Womble Bond Atty's 'Draconian' Penalty Gives 4th Circ. Pause

By Hayley Fowler

A Fourth Circuit panel seemed to struggle Thursday with what one judge described as a "draconian" contempt order against a Womble Bond Dickinson partner, with the panel nudging counsel for both sides toward a simpler solution that wouldn't force the court's involvement.

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Ex-Jackson Walker Atty Seeks Breakup With Romance Suit

By Adrian Cruz

A former Jackson Walker LLP partner said Thursday that she should be dropped from a suit accusing her, a former Texas bankruptcy judge she had a secret relationship with and multiple law firms of fomenting "mass corruption" in Houston's bankruptcy court.

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SEC Fines Ex-BigLaw Atty For Insider Trades On Apollo Deal

By Hailey Konnath

A former Buchalter PC shareholder has agreed to pay $71,625 to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's allegations he purchased stock ahead of Apollo Global Management's $1.5 billion acquisition of Bridge Investment, which the commission said he was representing in an unrelated matter at the time.

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Comey Retains NC Criminal Defense Pro For 2nd Indictment

By Rachel Rippetoe

Former FBI Director James Comey has added a North Carolina white collar defense pro to his legal team fighting an indictment by the Trump administration over a social media post last year that prosecutors characterized as a threat of violence against the president, according to a court filing on Thursday.

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Judiciary Panel Punts AI Rules, Mulls Judges' Survey Results

By Jeff Overley

Buckle up: Efforts to modernize evidentiary rules amid artificial intelligence fears are getting bumpy, as judiciary advisers Thursday agreed to dramatically delay action while digesting an AI survey of nearly 1,000 judges and organizing a symposium of litigators and tech pros.

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Toss Of Ex-Shkreli Atty's Deal May Be Error, 2nd Circ. Hints

By Pete Brush

A Second Circuit judge hinted Thursday that a trial judge may have erred in rejecting a retirement-fund garnishment deal that would have protected Martin Shkreli's convicted former lawyer from a potential $1 million "punitive tax event."

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Analysis

How Litigation Funding Disclosure Could Affect ITC Cases

By Ryan Davis

The U.S. International Trade Commission's proposed rule to require disclosure of litigation funding in intellectual property cases could bring more transparency to disputes and promote settlements, but it could also discourage some suits if it's not carefully tailored, attorneys say.

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NC Judge Tosses Atty's Suit Against State Bar Panel Member

By Andrea Keckley

A North Carolina federal judge dismissed a suspended attorney's lawsuit against a State Bar Disciplinary Hearing Commission member he accused of bias and due process violations, finding Thursday that the defendant is entitled to absolute quasi-judicial immunity.

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Analysis

Why Compliance Is Getting Complicated In Latin America

By Phillip Bantz

White collar compliance is getting trickier for companies that do business in Latin America, according to experts, who say they are seeing big shifts in the region connected to cartel crackdowns and efforts to strengthen corporate regulations, including relatively recent pushes for voluntary self-disclosure.

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